<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Thank you to Ross for his informed description about uttapams.

Based on his inspiration, I did an experiment and made four different types
of uttapams using active dry yeast and yogurt as a fermentation and
leavening agent. The four were: (a) yeast alone with the recipe ingredients,
(b) yeast and yogurt in combination,  (c) yogurt only, and (d) garbanzo/fava
flour instead of  urad daal.  The first two produced uttapams of the best
quality - light, curnchy, fully cooked and tasty with just the right amount
of sour. C cooked up nice and tall, but resulted in a "mouth" with a gummy
feeling. D had the strongest bean smell when being prepared, and it became
hard and tough when baked. When I have time, I will try the commercial
garbanzo + fava flour with the combination of yeast and yougurt.

Local shops that sell kefir were closed today, so I didn't get a change to
try kefir as a fermentation ingredient as Ross suggested. Commercial
American kefir is said to be more like drinkable yogurt and is made by
infusing certain microbes and yeast into milk. The process making kefir with
"grains" is used by home kefir chefs and is probably more authentic.

Feel free to experiment.

Vic- Sunnyvale, CA

Visit the Celiac Web Page at Http://www.enabling.org/ia/celiac/index.html
Archives are at: Http://Listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?LIST=CELIAC